Imperial County has long been a producer of geothermal energy helping power California’s economy. Geothermal production may expand to between 1,500MW and 3,000MW over the next 10-15 years. Geothermal production and lithium/rare-mineral mining are combined industry activities.
Lithium is a vital mineral in the rechargeable batteries used by consumers in portable computing devices, electric vehicles and battery storage. Today, the United States has only 1% of global lithium being mined and processed, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earth deep below the southern portion of the Salton Sea, which is located in Imperial County, is rich in hot, mineral-abundant geothermal brine that contains some of the world’s largest deposits of lithium. It is estimated that Imperial County may hold as much as fifteen million metric tons of lithium, in addition to other rare minerals.
Imperial County officials and industry professional envision a “Lithium Valley” in Imperial County that would establish California as a global production hub that could employ thousands of workers and propel the economic future of Imperial County residents for generations to come.
Copyright © 2024 County of Imperial.